2017 Author’s Challenge Grant is here!

For us, our camaraderie with authors here in Chicago is one of the brightest and most powerful reasons for our ongoing work, and we are so grateful to be able to continue sharing new voices with each and every one of you.

As you all know, we are living in extraordinarily challenging times, with our nation and our people threatened by forces that deny the very concepts on which the country was founded.

It’s during extraordinary times that arts lift us up. For 28 years, the Guild Literary Complex’s programming has sought to bring together issues of social justice and the arts by supporting underrepresented writers from many backgrounds, orientations, and faiths.

Programs like Voices of Protest/Chicago City of Refuge, Palabra Pura, Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Awards and the Leon Forrest Prose Awards embody Chicago’s diversity, counteracting the divisive policy and commentary coming out of Washington today.

Prominent Chicago authors believe the Guild’s programming powerfully resists this trend and are once again challenging you to donate in the link below in our annual Authors Challenge Grant to support the Guild. All donations help us continue our work, $5, $10, $25 … $250, and on … ! To us, every donation is an invaluable gift; please help us continue our work today:

You can join Bill Ayers, Garnett Kilberg Cohen, Aviya Kushner, Haki Madhubuti, Elise Paschen, Kathleen Rooney & Martin Seay, Matthew Shenoda, Sharon Solwitz & Barry Silesky, Scott Turow and two donations In Honor of Cyrus Colter, In Honor of Leon Forrest, who together donated a total of $3,000. We call on you to help meet and exceed their challenge.

To donate, please cut and paste the link below into a new browser window:

We need your help to keep our programs alive and to bring new ones to you and so many across a wide spectrum of Chicago’s communities. Thank you for your generosity in supporting the Guild Literary Complex. Your support means so much to us.

With best wishes for a happy holiday season, and with my heartfelt thanks and warm regards,